Best used hot hatches for less than £20,000

This isn't your run-of-the-mill hot hatch. No sir, the Toyota GR Yaris is a homologation special – two words that'll widen the eyes of any petrolhead. It all comes down to rallying. You see, in the sport's rules, your rally car needs to be based on an existing road car.

Under the bonnet, you'll find a 1.6-litre three-cylinder petrol engine aided by a hefty turbocharger. There's an impressive 257bhp and 266lb ft of torque on tap, with this grunt being sent to all four wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. When we timed the GR Yaris from 0-60mph, it managed the sprint in just 4.6sec.

It'll do the same in the corners, too. The GR Yaris is four-wheel drive and the system it uses is very clever. Combined with its relatively low weight, it helps grant the GR Yaris truly remarkable grip, composure and agility in the bends.

Used car prices for the Toyota GR Yaris begin at around £17,000. The vast majority of examples are Circuit Pack cars and this variant will set you back from £19,000. 

"What a delightfully agile little thing. I love it. Nothing else touches it for driver appeal here. " - George Hill, used cars writer

We found: 2021 Toyota GR Yaris Circuit Pack, 42,600 miles, £18,500

Read our full used Toyota GR Yaris review

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If you're after a rip-snorting hot hatch look no further.

The Renault Mégane RS gets a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine packing 276bhp in standard form, and 296bhp in Trophy guise. Even with the base amount of power, it has plenty of pace.

More importantly, it's tremendous fun and effortlessly capable when you're in the mood for a spirited drive - it's terrific when the road gets twisty. 

Prices for this generation of the Mégane RS start at around £15,000: expect a 2018 or 2019 RS 280 (with or without the Cup chassis) in good condition and with an average mileage, bought from a dealer. The RS 300 starts at around £18,000, but if you want the stiffer, sharper Trophy variant, strangely enough, it goes for around £20,000. The Trophy-R is a rather rare beast.

"We ran one as a long-termer once, and you couldn't get hold of the keys for gold dust. A really great drive." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2020 Renault Mégane RS 280, 46,000 miles, £20,000

Read our full used Renault Mégane RS review

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Make no mistake, the Honda Civic Type R is an absolute blast of a hot hatch, yet it's one that’s also practical and easy to live with.

Chances are you’ll already know what you think about this 2017-2022 Type R. It’s not the kind of car you can sit on the fence about, not at least as far as its styling is concerned. 

But beneath those striking looks, the Civic Type R has more than enough bite to match its bark. It’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine kicking out 316bhp. Its performance is therefore thrilling, its handling is sensational, and it sounds wonderful.

Would give the Megane a closer run for its money if there were more of them for sale on the used market and if you could get a newer car for our budget. A used Civic Type R of this generation will cost you from around £20,000, that's if you shop around and are comfortable with north of 60,000 miles on the clock. For a wider breadth of choice, have around £25,000 to spend.

"Such a shame they're so expensive, because this is otherwise one hell of a car." - George Hill, used cars writer

We found: 2017 Honda Civic Type R, 56,000 miles, £19,995

Read our full used Honda Civic Type R review

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Just losing out here to the exceptional GR Yaris, Mégane RS and Civic Type R, this Ford Fiesta ST captures the essence of what makes this class so great.

At its heart, it's a driver's car. The punchy 1.5-litre turbocharged engine puts out a healthy 197bhp giving it strong performance, while its handling is an impressive balance of confidence-inspiring grip and smile-inducing fun. 

It's also practical, fuel-efficient and affordable. and, if you can't stretch to this later version, try the 2013-2017 Ford Fiesta ST, which likewise is one of our very favourite hot hatches. 

We recommend you have at least £11,500 when shopping for this Ford Fiesta ST. That should buy you a 2018 car with around 50,000 miles on the clock. You'll find plenty of examples in ST-2 form at around that price. To net an ST-3, expect to pay a grand or so more. The Performance Edition is rare, but it's not a car you'll only see once in a blue moon. Examples begin at around £15,000 and they'll be 2019 cars. The ST Edition is even rarer and a couple of years newer, coming in at around £17,000.

"The Fiesta ST is the way to make a small hot hatch. Until the arrival of the GR Yaris it was truly the top of the tree." - George Hill, used cars writer

We found: 2023 Ford Fiesta ST-3, 26,000 miles, £15,000

Read our full used Ford Fiesta ST review

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Find a used one for sale here

Most other hot hatches come with a turbocharged three or four-cylinder engine, but this previous-generation version of the old BMW 1 Series M140i has a stonking 335bhp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six, making it the fastest car in this list by some margin.

You also can revel in the playful nature of the rear-wheel-drive chassis, so it's a real blast to drive. 

What’s more, you can get it in five-door form, making it a practical family car. Oh, and the latest 2018-onwards BMW M135i is also a bit of a hoot, if you've got even more of the folding stuff burning a hole in your pocket. 

Around £14,000 gains you entrance to the M140i club, this relating to a 2016 car in good condition with a less than 70,000 miles on the clock. For a 2019 model have a budget of at least £16,000.

"An oldie but a goodie. Looks like nothing but goes like stink." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2019 BMW M140i 5dr, 40,000 miles, £18,500

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The Volkswagen Golf R is the chalk to the likes of the BMW M140i's cheese, with very understated looks and absolutely no histrionics. 

Beneath the surface lurks a 296bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and a four-wheel-drive system, as used in the Audi S3. Like the S3, the Golf R has little trouble getting all that power down off the line, but it has lighter steering so it feels a bit more nimble. It's devastatingly quick, and that performance is very easy to access safely. It's refined, too, and you get all the practicality the basic Golf is renowned for. 

Used prices for the Volkswagen Golf R begin at around £12,000, but we'd recommend a budget of £15,000, that way you can have an example with no previous damage and a mileage of around 50,000. Cars from 2017 with this mileage tend to demand close to £18,000. A 2018 model should set you back around £18,000, and a 2019 one lists for around £19,000. At the top end, you'll find late 2020 Golf Rs, and in most cases, expect to pay upwards of £20,000 for one of those.

"Put on your sensible running shoes, this is the great all-rounder here." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2019 Volkswagen Golf R 5dr, 49,000 miles, £19,995

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Hyundai hit it out of the park with the Hyundai i30N, and it's clear from how this car looks, drives and sounds that the manufacturer was serious about kicking up a storm in the segment. 

With 271bhp in Performance form, it's quick enough to thrill, while its exhaust is raucous enough to make you grin from ear to ear – without making your neighbours frown, of course. It's fun on a twisty road and practical, too. Reliability is strong, and used prices are now nicely competitive. 

Used prices for the Hyundai i30N start at around £15,000 for a 2018 N Performance. Expect to spend around £17,000 on a 2019 car, £18,000 on a 2020 one and £21,000 on an early 2021 car.

If you want a facelifted car, have at least £25,000 to spend. Nearly new 2024 i30Ns currently go for around £32,000.

"It seemed so revolutionary when it first came out and it's still really, really good to drive now." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2019 Hyundai i30N Performance, 40,000 miles, £19,000

Read our full used Hyundai i30N review

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The Volkswagen Golf GTI is the car that does everything, and the one that every other brand tries to emulate yet never quite manages to.

One moment it's a classy hatchback that quietly, comfortably and efficiently deals with the daily grind, the next it’s a rapid point-to-point sports car that few twice-as-expensive models can keep up with. That's partly down to the 227bhp 2.0-litre engine fitted to GTIs equipped with the Performance Pack, but the excellent chassis dynamics play their part, too. It's a crushingly competent hot hatch, this Mk7 Golf, with plenty of good examples on the used car forecourts. 

Although it’s possible to buy a high-mileage example for £10,000, we'd suggest you spend around £12,000 to get behind the wheel of an early 2013 or 2014 car. Up this to £14,000 for 2015 or 2016 cars, while £17,000 will grab you a 2017 model. Post-facelift cars from mid-2017 start from £18,000. Expect to pay £20,000 for a run-out GTI Performance from 2020.

"A spot of Golf? Of course. A great all-rounder. I always enjoy a GTI of any generation, but this one is more reliable than most."- George Hill, used cars writer

We found: 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0 5dr, 51,000 miles, £17,500

Read our full used Volkswagen Golf GTI review

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It may be one of the class's more recent entries, but the Hyundai i20N is a delightfully old-school hot hatch.

It's small, quick, relatively affordable used and only available with a manual gearbox. In fact, it neatly complements the Korean firm's larger offering, the Hyundai i30N, its first-ever hot hatch, which also appears in this top 10.

Used prices are competitive, and only the car's relative scarcity in the used market (only a set number of i20Ns were set aside for export to the UK) prevents it from finishing even higher here. The Hyundai i20N costs from around £19,000 on the used market, with 2023 and 2024 models rising to around £2,000. 

"Fetch me the smelling salts, dear, I've just passed out. I didn't know this delightful little i20N was so cheap." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2021 Hyundai i20N, 40,500 miles, £20,000

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For the more discerning hot-hatch buyer who doesn’t wish to be too flashy about the performance of his or her car, there’s the previous-generation version of the Audi S3.

Aside from a few S3 badges and the four tail pipes, there's not much to differentiate it from the regular Audi A3. Behind the unassuming exterior hides a 296bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, as well as four-wheel drive, so the S3 has prodigious traction for the 'traffic light grand prix' if that's your thing.

You’ll need around £16,000 to buy a decent S3. Around £2000 more will net you a good 2017 example. The late S3s from 2020 will set you back around £20,000.

"It's all very well going to the Civic Type R's visual extremes, but sometimes you want a car that doesn't shout, and that's what the S3 is." - Mark Pearson, used cars editor

We found: 2018 Audi S3 TFSI Quattro 5dr, 59,000 miles, £18,995

Read our full used Audi S3 review

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